Why Olympic Climate Action?

OCA is a group of local citizens concerned about climate change on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, at the northwest corner of the conterminous United States.

A huge problem looms, its causes are known, and its solutions, though challenging, are achievable. To fail to act decisively would mean chaos for life as we know it. Who wouldn’t want to take on such a challenge and prevent disaster?

The answer: those who benefit from the status quo. For an analogy, take smoking- -for decades, the cigarette companies engaged in deceptive public-relations campaigns that actively promoted sickness and death, using the power of money to suppress the truth. Now we have a far more lethal situation: fossil fuel companies knowingly putting our planet in jeopardy for the sake of profit, and politicians and media often looking the other way, afraid to speak the truth to a public that they fear is misinformed or just not interested.

Ignoring this problem won’t make it go away. The evidence of our changing climate and its deadly consequences is too pervasive to ignore, including historic increases in storms, flooding, drought, and wildfire.

Our Olympic Peninsula has a lot to lose as things heat up: warmer, wetter winters and warmer, dryer summers, which translate into more winter flooding, summer drought, wildfire, and insect infestation. And our oceans will be increasingly impacted by carbon-fueled acidification and changes in currents and upwelling. These impacts will hurt homeowners, fish, wildlife, and major industries, including forest products, recreation/tourism, and fisheries. We can also expect droves of people moving here from places where the problems will be even worse.

Because of the lag time between cause and effect in a system as large as the earth, these impacts will get worse before they get better, no matter how quickly we act. But act quickly we must, to avoid the worst of the consequences for future generations.

Olympic Climate Action is one of many local groups organizing around the country and world to take decisive action now. Our goal is to educate about the issues and alternatives, and to motivate local citizens and governments to aggressively support national, state, and local efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

● Our mission:We seek a safe, prosperous, sustainable future for residents of the Olympic Peninsula by addressing the threat of climate change.

● Our objectives:
– Gather and share the best available science and traditional knowledge on probable local impacts of climate change and the best means to reduce (mitigate) and adapt to these impacts.
– Stimulate dialogue in the community about these issues.
– Advocate for mitigation and adaptation measures at every level.
– Serve as a hub for involvement by other local groups.

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Get Involved!

We hold general meetings once a month, at which we determine our activities and campaigns.
To get on our mailing list, Contact Us.

NOTE: The content on this website does not necessarily reflect the official position of the Olympic Climate Action group. Some items are intended to engender thought and discussion. For our decision-making process, see the About link.